Making Me Look Bad

One of the few times I'll bring up my sexuality in regards to gaming...because I HAVE TO

So this morning I do my regular routine of websites, which go from, in a semi-specific order...

My emailVG Cats (if they update)

Penny Arcade

1up

It was during my recent trip to Penny Arcade that prompted this blog. Like many, I usually read the news posts of the magnificent Tycho for the sake of context to make the pending comic that much funnier for me. But it was this link that caused me to quite literally (and audibly) smack my forehead.

Just in case you hadn't perhaps clicked on the link provided, lemme give you a brief. Some jagoff by the name of Oakland put up a petition to have David Gaider, the senior writer for the Dragon Age games, fired "for stereotyping homosexuals in such a disrespectful way, as well as creating the worst writing in characters, plot and everything else in DA2." And worse yet? It's got 300 signatures.

I'm not sure if this is someone's idea of an April Fools joke (the fact that it was published 1 week ago according to the petition kinda shoots that theory down), but lemme explain to ANYONE out there who thinks that this is how all of us gay gamers are--I can at least speak for myself when I say that this is not the case. I've had to develop a rather thick skin with regards to many recent events, so stereotyping is, in the grand scale of things, not exactly stunning to me, nor does it spin me into a fit of righteous rage over the offender.

On the contrary--those who do go flying off the handle piss me off far worse.

Homosexuals are exposed to a ridiculous amount of stereotype in this day and age, especially with regards to the gaming population at large. A culture where gay jokes = immediate laugh, where demasculation and insult of your sexual preference is fair game. And I've been doing this shit for so long that I'm used to it. Personally, I find it hilarious when someone calls me a fag in CoD and I confirm the "accusation", then listen as the speaker's synapses misfire as the existence of my sexuality somehow blows his mind. That amuses me greatly. But when you've got people like Oakland who continue to propagate the idea that homosexuals are easily wounded, incredibly sensitive and overall just waiting for a chance to pounce about their rights being trampled...well it's just not helping our image.

And as much as I hate to admit it, image is everything when it comes to homosexuals. At least in my own personal experiences. Snap decisions are made based upon the reaction of a community, and so this petition represents the very worst of us, and only helps to reaffirm those negative stereotypes and further sow seeds of misinformation and misunderstanding.

Now I've not played Dragon Age 2. I can't honestly speak about what behaviors drove this person and 300 others like him into such a fit about it. It might very well be flagrantly stereotypical, but perhaps it might be clever. I mean, I wouldn't mind horribly if I were seduced by a smooth-talking elf. But if it's anything like the elf character in the first DA was, then he's likely trying too hard, and I don't even bother to approach the romance avenue.

In closing, I'll provide David Gaider's own thoughts on the matter, from the official forum of BioWare where he responded to a poster claiming that Dragon Age 2 failed to cater to the straight male gamer:

"...if there is any doubt why such an opinion might be met with hostility, it has to do with privilege. You can write it off as 'political correctness' if you wish, but the truth is that privilege always lies with the majority. They're so used to being catered to that they see the lack of catering as an imbalance. They don't see anything wrong with having things set up to suit them, what's everyone's fuss all about? That's the way it should be, any everyone else should be used to not getting what they want."

I submit that this sense of privilege goes BOTH WAYS. For the outraged majority as well as the over-sensitive minority.

Comments (4)

Good call.

I'm 100% with you on this. I myself am not gay,but I have several friends who are,and they,like you,think this shit is ridiculous.Is this guy really taking the time and energy to be pissy about a Videogame not accurately portraying a homosexual relationship? Is he serious!? If this guy has so much fervor over this,he oughta be petitioning against those pricks from Westboro Baptist Church.You know,the people doing "actual" harm to the gay community.But I guess that's the problem,since that would be "actually" doing something.Anyways,i'm always glad to see people thinking for themselves and not falling into a group mentality.Kudos man.

Well said

I think....

...that protests like this seem a lot more extensive than they really are because stuff like this goes viral on the Internet very rapidly. In the past, this issue might have been lucky to be picked up by an AP stringer and carried in a few newspapers.

I thought the original post that set this incident off, from a straight guy who was offended that he had a male party member coming on to his male PC and was docked relationship points when he refused the party member's advances, was absolutely ridiculous and homophobic.